The present invention relates to a word forming game apparatus. Word forming game apparatus are well known and have been developed in many variations throughout the years. The most well known apparatus is identified commercially by the trademark "SCRABBLE" and comprises a game board, a plurality of letters of the alphabet, each letter having a specified numerical value, and a support for the letters or tiles. The game is played from a single letter supply from which each player selects a specified number of letters and must in alternate fashion form words therefrom. The players are restricted to the letters selected in terms of the words that may be formed.
Similarly the following U.S. patents have been noted which in general disclose a variety of word forming games and related apparatus, all of which employ a predetermined number of letters from which each player must make specific selection, and thereafter attempt to form words, either by the formation of independent words or by the addition of letters to words already formed either previously by that player, or by one or more of the other players.
In particular, the patents noted are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,195 to Bean et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,648 to Nilan; U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,972 to Smith; U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,893 to Friedman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 1,553,835 to Peters; and British Pat. No. 775,170 to Kemp.
In addition, the advent of micro electronics and computers has produced certain electronic games which simulate the functions of those earlier board games as above mentioned. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,764 to Diebold discloses a game of chance which includes as one of its variations a random formation of letters by the manipulation of electric switches and lights on a panel. In accordance with this invention each player takes turns randomly actuating lights in an attempt to form letters on a display from combinations of the lights. The first to assemble the lights into sufficient letters to form three words, wins the game.
All of these games are similar in that they restrict the mode of a play to a predetermined selection from materials or information forming a part of the game playing apparatus. The present invention seeks to promote a game that relies in part upon the guidance and structure of the game apparatus but permits the individual player to exercise individual imagination in playing the game.